This invention relates to surface treatment apparatus of the type including at least a pair of surface treating elements and a supply source of liquid and, more particularly, to a unique solution valve for distributing liquid from the supply source at substantially equal rates to the surface treating elements.
Surface treatment apparatus such as floor scrubbers generally include at least a pair of surface treating elements in the form of brushes and a supply of liquid cleaning solution which is distributed to the surface treating elements. Provision is made for metering the flow of the solution to the elements and for dividing the flow equally between the two elements. Heretofore, a separate metering valve has been incorporated in the floor scrubber for controlling the rate of flow from the solution tank to a separate flow divider. Typically, the flow divider has been of the type including a divider chamber open to atmosphere and having separate outlets, each joined by a suitable conduit to the separate scrubber brushes. Systems of this type have not been totally satisfactory in dividing the liquid solution equally between the scrubbing brushes. Under high flow conditions, the fluid is usually fairly evenly distributed to the brushes but, however, under low flow rate conditions the solution tends to divide in the divider chamber unevenly.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,349 entitled FLOOR SCRUBBER FLOW DIVIDER, and issued on Dec. 3, 1974 in the name of the present inventor discloses an improvement over such prior flow divider systems. The flow divider illustrated therein is connected to a solution tank by a conduit through a metering valve. The flow divider includes a pair of separate outlet chambers with each chamber connected to a scrub brush. The divider has an inlet chamber including a number of symmetrical sets of fluid passageways, each of which sets empties into a respective outlet chamber. The passageways in each set are arranged vertically and the flow area increases from bottom to top.
This arrangement results in more evenly dividing the solution between the treating elements throughout the full range of flow rates provided by the metering valve. With this arrangement, however, it is possible for the flow divider chambers to overflow when the metering valve is fully opened and the solution tank is full of solution.